Feast of Mount Carmel in India: Mary, a woman who made a difference
Mumbai (AsiaNews) - This morning, hundreds of Catholics took part in the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, at the monastery of the Discalced Carmelites in Mumbai. Card Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai, led the Eucharist service, concelebrated by more than 20 priests and many religious.
Sister Marie Gemma OCD, prioress of the monastery, welcomed the assembly of the faithful from behind the grille. "Friends and lovers of Mary," she said, "we thank our Father for the gift of Mary, a woman who made a difference".
"In the world in which we live today," the nun went on to say, "success, achievements, new inventions and appearance define meaning and values, all with the goal of making a difference."
"We look to Mary, who kept a dream in her heart: that of the promised Messiah. She felt infinitely loved by God and used to say, 'He who is Almighty has done great things for me.'
"For us, the Father's love makes all the difference. We are all born with the Lord's seed in us. Our lives are the womb that brings the seed to birth. In our small way, our lives remind us that we are programmed for God and heaven."
During his homily, Card Gracias first praised the contemplatives as "powerhouse of prayer for the world and for the Archdiocese of Mumbai", and then mentioned his own First Communion.
"On that day of joy, I received the scapular, which marked my belonging to Mary and sealed forever my consecration to the Mother of Jesus."
Commenting on the first reading, from the first Book of Kings, the cardinal urged the faithful to ask themselves: "Are we people who seek justice, integrity and honesty, or do we act dishonestly, without integrity in business and in relationships?"
"Whatever our choice, we are true children of Mary, and Jesus' disciples. For this reason, today is a day of great joy and hope, because Mary - Mother of God and our guiding Mother - protects us and takes us to her son Jesus, who showed us the way to the Father. "(NC)
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